Ionic bonding in sodium chloride. Computer artwork showing the formation (top) of sodium chloride (common salt) and a model of the cubic crystal lattice (bottom) created by this chemical reaction. This is a classic case of ionic bonding, a type of chemical bond formed through an electrostatic attraction between two oppositely charged ions. Ionic bonds are formed due to the attraction between an atom that has lost one or more electron (known as a cation) and an atom that has gained one or more electrons (known as an anion). In the formation of sodium chloride, the sodium atom (top left) lost one electron, which is captured by the chlorine atom (top right). In the cubic crystal lattice, sodium ions (Na+) are represented by yellow spheres and chlorine ions